Time for positive change in Trenton

Something happened here last Saturday that did not receive any news coverage as about 20 people gathered to pray for the City of Trenton.

They were a strange bunch: a Caucasian, a Latino, a couple of mayoral candidates and several youths, along with African-American elders.

“We just got together for 15 minutes of prayer. We prayed for the city of Trenton,” Jo Carolyn Dent-Clark explained. “It wasn’t a vigil. It wasn’t a march. And it was done without much fanfare. We just thought it was time to do something important.”

Atheists and agnostics likely have moved onto Page 3 but for those of us who believe in a higher power, God, Jehovah, Allah, Yahweh, a King of Lord, or simply, Love, it’s time that we speak out about not only our belief but to activate our birthright of power.

This inclination to show no shame for our God game found a deliverer in Richard Gay, senior pastor at Central: A Christ-Centered Church, situated across from The College of New Jersey.

A first visit on Sunday discovered a spiritually exciting institution worthy of mention as Pastor Gay preached a sermon that expressed a need for Christians to voice their love of God.

Entitled it’s “Better to Speak Up,” Gay suggested that tough times provide an opportunity for believers to lean on the Word and to proclaim our faith.

In essence, God always makes a way for those who remain faithful. Gay stated that our individual testimony of survival or deliverance from depths of despair provides a platform for celebration of God’s love.

Difficult times test our faith, challenge our systems of honesty, or convince us to yield to worldly indiscretions. When we can praise God in the midst of storms, hold fast to the religious truths that we know and accept, we can rejoice in this day knowing that God has referenced us in his heart.

While murder and mayhem dominate news reports, a situation that suggests demonic domination, information gatherers would be hardpressed to report victories being claimed in the name of God, Allah or Love.

Sure, Trenton has experienced 15 killings and counting but hundreds if not thousands of lives have been saved.

I could tell you my own story or hundreds of others like mine, about those who escaped the clutches of addiction with the help of prayer, a higher power and support from like-minded people.

Our victories, some acquired immediately, others produced over time, could fill volumes of printed material.

Other reports could describe the arrival of thousands of immigrants who departed countries with nothing but hope. They arrived on wings of whispered prayers in America, where religious freedom remains a cornerstone of our democracy.

Each individual who attends overflowing congregations in Chambersburg churches on Sunday mornings possesses a testimony of faith. They have Jesus on their walls and in their hearts but their conviction could enjoy magnification if they confess publicly the affect of God in their lives.

Our words have power. Our testimony gives foundation to our faith.

A followup church visit led me to New Life Christian Center, where my friend Co-Pastor Mark Granville preached about “spiritual maturity.”

His words served as a perfect connector to Pastor Gay.

Trenton is ready for a revival, despite criticisms that this city can never rebound from a plethora of problems.

An opinion here is that our capital city suffers because once-proud saints have gone silent.

Undoubtedly, as Pastor Gay stated, it’s better to speak out.

Prayer followed by our own personal testimony seems like a perfect way to initiate positive change in Trenton.